Aaarrrr! Sit ye down, matey, and grab a pint o rum, and I’ll be telling ya a grand tale of revenge and fortune on the high seas.

It began with a family in the Caribbean, about to get free of debt, but it was not to be. The evil city official scuttled their hopes, seized their property and threw the lot into prison. All save for a young man, who escaped their foul clutches and ran off into the night, vowing vengeance on the men that done this to his family.

Sid Meier’s Pirates!, a PC release from Atari and Firaxis Games, is an adventure that begins in the 1600s. It combines a variety of gameplay styles into a somewhat immersive and entertaining experience that does not tax gamers in terms of a learning curve, and is somewhat fast paced.